What Branding Strategies for 2023 do I need?
Clients usually reach out to me for what we all see as the initial basics of business card, website or how to develop a social media presence which I think are all great things but I usually try to back them up and start with the very sometimes simple or even unique problem their business or idea is trying to solve.
I do this crucial step because in this question usually lies their branding opportunity. Who did you create this product for? Why is it needed. In these very simple but sometimes deep questions you can begin to brand and market from your why! With this, you can then identify marketing products that meet your customers where they are at or grab the attention of your brand base.
Do I need a business plan to get going?
Usually in the past, clients would reach out when starting a business to get assistance with a business plan. Usually after trying to identify the various elements they feel they may need for their business. Now as technology and tools have changed, we can crowdsource ideas and resources. Rather the one page business plan as a new tool for getting your idea and data out there, my clients may need a website or social media presence to get the ball rolling.
What are some Pitfalls to Avoid in Branding?
- The first pitfall or mistake many client make in branding or their marketing is not truly identifying what your product, service or offering is and who it is for.
- Secondly I would say is understamating the power of time. To properly Market or Brand anything, we are talking sometimes of an initial time frame of 3-6 months to build awareness and from there building the faith in your Brand. It can take several months or even years to build the traction you need for success, the pitfall in this is having the gumption to not give up.
- With number 2 being time, I would say the third pitfall in truly building out a successful brand is not having enough money or resources. Being able to weather the storm of constant marketing is key. Many entrepreneurs and small businesses find it hard to maintain either a budget to pay their marketing partners or staff to focus on the effort. Understanding its importance and the resources needed can guarantee your brand a solid consistent return in-tune with this effort.
What are some key Brand elements to note?
- Identifying your customer: Usually the truth is found in the problem your product is “truly” solving. We’ve all probably watched an episode of Shark tank where the sharks asked the question “who is this product for?” and it falls to a small segment of the population or even a non existent audience. Knowing your customer is key to building an attractive brand.
- Constantly staying infront of your core audience with messaging to gain awareness. They usually say most businesses fail within the first 3-5 years of starting. Is estimated that half of all businesses will fail before the 5 year mark and only 35% will still be around at year 10. I can tell you going on year 13 of being 100% past corporate that time is an equalizer for businesses but also your most valued resource. Using your time wisely by always trying to stay in-front of your core audience is key and important to weather this storm.
- As we often hear you either have time but no money or money and no time, understanding the right mix of money and time to put to your branding is also important.
- Nothing happens without a good plan. Planning and goal setting as it relates to your brand is key in developing a winning brand strategy.
What are some important things to DO when creating a brand?
- Provide Value, money is not always the goal.
- Know who you’re talking to, use the digital dashboards and information data about your followers, site visitors and content viewers to develop your next strategies.
- Keep a fresh perspective, things are constantly changing, ask anyone working in the SEO or search engine optimization field. Sometimes digital business goals will be a moving target.
- Be honest about where your at and where your going.
- Track everything if you can.
- Know your “Competition” there’s enough out there for everybody, but having a friend to send others to is also good for your business and the growth of your industry.
What are some important things to NOT DO when creating a brand?
- Dont Forget Why you started to begin with.
- Don’t Leave your crowd or potential clients hanging. Especially on Social. Time is valuable, if they contact you definitely respond in a timely matter.
- Don’t spam, especially spaces like LinkedIn.
- Don’t Have Imposter Syndrome. It happens to all of us, but we all start somewhere.